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That Will Never Work

The Birth of Netflix by the first CEO and co-founder Marc Randolph

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That Will Never Work

By: Marc Randolph
Narrated by: Marc Randolph
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About this listen

 In the tradition of Phil Knight's Shoe Dog comes the incredible untold story of how Netflix went from concept to company - all revealed by co-founder and first CEO Marc Randolph.


Once upon a time, brick-and-mortar video stores were king. Late fees were ubiquitous, video-streaming unheard of, and widespread DVD adoption seemed about as imminent as flying cars. These were the widely accepted laws of the land in 1997 when Marc Randolph had an idea.

It was a simple thought - leveraging the internet to rent movies - and was just one of many more proposals, like personalised baseball bats and a shampoo delivery service, that Randolph would pitch to his business partner, Reed Hastings, on their commute to work each morning.

But Hastings was intrigued, and the pair - with Hastings as the primary investor and Randolph as the CEO - founded a company.

Now with over 150 million subscribers, Netflix's triumph feels inevitable but the twenty-first century's most disruptive start-up began with few believers and calamity at every turn. From having to pitch his own mother on being an early investor, to the motel conference room that served as a first office, to server crashes on launch day, to the now-infamous meeting when they pitched Blockbuster to acquire them, Marc Randolph's transformational journey exemplifies how anyone with grit, gut instincts and determination can change the world - even with an idea that many think will never work.

What emerges, however, isn't just the inside story of one of the world's most iconic companies. Full of counter-intuitive concepts and written in binge-worthy prose, it answers some of our most fundamental questions about taking that leap of faith in business or in life: How do you begin? How do you weather disappointment and failure? How do you deal with success? What even is success?

From idea generation to team building to knowing when it's time to let go, That Will Never Work is not only the ultimate follow-your-dreams parable but also one of the most dramatic and insightful entrepreneurial stories of our time.


(p) 2019 Octopus Publishing Group©2019 Marc Randolph Business Business Development Business Development & Entrepreneurship Entrepreneurship Professionals & Academics Inspiring Thought-Provoking Success

Critic Reviews

Engaging and insightful
Netflix was built on the vision and creative DNA of one man-Marc Randolph. As the founding CEO, his leadership defined the culture of Netflix and laid the groundwork for successive, global revolutions in how we make and consume entertainment.
Marc is an unusually brave soul. Marc's genius in recognizing that not knowing frees you to experiment and observe and to ultimately win.
Marc wastes no time cutting through the noise and identifying the truth. Every moment I have spent with Marc, whether it was as he formulated and launched Netflix or since then, has been truly rewarding. Marc understands what is important whether it is your product, your marketing, or your business plan. A remarkable and one of a kind visionary.
An entertaining chronicle of creativity, luck, and unflagging perseverance.
All stars
Most relevant
Such a great story. Well read and published. Great content and good read through all the words.

Fantastic!!

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This book is truthfully educational and inspirational. Anybody who wants to know the painful story of success in entrepreneurship should read this book.

Practical story on startup fiasco

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loved it. Great story and great lessons particularly when to walk away. Marc tells a compelling book from start to finish

great book. authentic and entertaining

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Marc Randolph delivers Netflix's story in all it's entirety. I could not turn it off and looked forward to each new binge listening session of it.

Like all comprehensive stories he covered everything from the day of conception through to his retirement and slightly beyond his days at the company.

There are some absolute CEO & Entrepreneur gems of advice and examples in there that can benefit anyone in life.

Engaging narration keeps you really listening to the story.

My absolute favourite digital company story!

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What a story! An inspiring, well crafted account of the Netflix Journey.

Thank you Marc for writing this book, it’s an excellent book for anyone who is undertaking the journey of starting their own business.

It confirms that despite all your best efforts, the path to your goals may not be the one you first envision. It demonstrates the power of listening, learning and welcoming alternative possibilities.

There are many great takeaways from this. A must read!

Wow! A must read!

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